


Wayward Waltzes

by teacup_tyrant



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: F/M, and fancy Ravkan nobles, but mostly Kaz being all HEARTEYES at Inej
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 15:32:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14381628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teacup_tyrant/pseuds/teacup_tyrant
Summary: The Usual Suspects are in Ravka for the Winter Fete. Inej gets bombarded by dance partners and Kaz isn't pleased when one of them is a little too forward...





	Wayward Waltzes

“What is taking them so long? By the time those two get out here the party will be over.”

Jesper was moving impatiently around the room. He nearly knocked over an intricately designed decanter of Ravkan liqueur perched precariously near the edge of a table. Wylan grabbed it at the last second and shot Jesper an exasperated look. 

It was winter and the gang of usual suspects were lounging in a sitting room at the Ravkan Grand Palace, awaiting the appearance of Nina and Inej. Kaz had been able to deflect the invitation to the annual winter fete at the palace the year before, but this time he hadn't been so lucky. Inej had procured the invitation, sent to her by their friend Sturmhond himself, while she was anchored in a Ravkan harbor on one of her voyages. Her excitement at seeing Nina again had been so great that Kaz couldn't bring himself to say no to the trip.

Why a king would want the presence of five known criminals and swindlers at his luxurious palace, Kaz had no idea. But he figured he aught to keep his allies close. And a king was quite a good ally to have.

A half hour later, Inej and Nina finally emerged from the attached suite. Jesper wolf whistled. 

“Kaz, you lucky son of a bitch,” Jesper muttered just so Kaz could hear him.

Usually, a remark like that would cost Jesper the pain of a cane to his ribs, but Kaz was momentarily too distracted to care. He had always thought Inej was beautiful no matter what she was wearing. She looked the same in his eyes whether she was dressed in her everyday tunic and vest or her clothes were slashed from a fight and she was covered in blood. Hell, he might even like her better when she was covered in blood. But right now, standing in the native silks of the Suli, Inej exuded a proud, quiet confidence that he hadn't seen before. Her cheeks were slightly pink under the gazes of the men in the room.

Nina, Jesper, and Wylan quickly slipped into the next room, Jesper declaring he needed a last slug of booze before they headed downstairs. Nina shot Kaz a knowing look and a wink on her way out, which he purposely ignored.

Kaz allowed himself one long glance up and down her body as Inej came closer. She grinned, a little sly, a little unsure. 

“You look beautiful,” Kaz stated. Usually he would say something sarcastic or something snide. But not tonight.

“Thank you.”

He hesitated, then reached forward and twisted a one of the curled locks of hair that had escaped from her elegant braid around his finger. Inej grinned wider, pleased at the contact.

“Let's go, you podges!” Jesper's voice carried in from the adjacent room, making them both jump.

Kaz took a deep breath and intertwined his fingers with hers, and they departed the room together.

-

“If we don't end this evening with our pockets stuffed with gold watches and diamond necklaces, then we don't deserve to call ourselves thieves at all,” Jesper declared, taking in the glittering sights of the ballroom and the bedazzled people in it.

“No stealing,” Wylan scolded him firmly. “It's not like you need the money anyway.”

“That's not the point. It's not about need.”

The two bickered back and forth as the group made their way into the ballroom, getting some stares from Ravkan nobles with their noses in the air. Nina had already been bombarded by some of her Grisha friends. Inej was peering towards the dance floor, intrigued by the couples moving gracefully around each other. 

“Jesper,” Kaz interrupted suddenly, “ask Inej to dance.”

“Really?” Jesper asked, taken aback.

Kaz could tell Inej wanted to whirl with the other dancers but he wasn't about to make a fool of himself by stumbling over his feet and limping in circles. Rather Jesper than any of the bearded and mustached Ravkans he had already seen throwing appraising glances Inej's way.

Inej happily accepted Jesper's hand when he offered, but not without a quick glance Kaz's way. He pretended not to notice. It wasn't like she needed his permission.

Jesper had been the first to claim Inej's hand, but their dance opened the floodgates to many other offers. As the night progressed, man after man asked for a turn with the Suli girl who was light on her feet and moved with acrobatic grace. Inej was far too polite to say no.

A man with a grey mustache and a chest full of military medals whirled Inej around the dance floor, the last (at the moment) in her line of eager dance partners. She had been enjoying herself before, but her face now looked tense. The man leaned close as he dipped her backwards in time with the music. He was too close. The dance ended and he murmured something in Inej's ear before he released her. She stiffened, her mouth set in a tight, straight line.

Inej slipped away in the crowd instantly, vanishing from sight. She appeared at Kaz's side moments later. He could feel her heightened anxiety radiating off her, could see the way her elbows were trembling. The familiar flicker of anger surged to life in his stomach. 

“What did he say to you?” Kaz inquired after Inej's breathing returned to normal, trying to keep his voice steady.

“It doesn't matter.”

“It matters to me.”

“He's had too much kvas.”

“You're defending him?”

Inej's eyes narrowed. “No, but he's a higher up in the army, so I'm keeping you from slitting his throat and starting a war between Ravka and Kerch.”

Clever girl. She knew him too well.

“Anyway, I think I'm done dancing for a while.”

Good, Kaz wanted to retort. But for once, he bit back his response. “I'll get us champagne.”

“Kaz,” Inej said firmly, grabbing hold of his sleeve as he moved towards a waiter holding a tray of sparkling crystal glasses. She narrowed her eyes at him. “I mean it. Don't-”

“I will not start a war with a dumpy old Ravkan skiv,” Kaz assured her with a roll of his eyes. He shook free of her grasp and disappeared through a throng of quick talking Zemeni diplomats. 

And now to find the mustached old skiv in question... Kaz didn't know what exactly the man had said to Inej, but he figured it wasn't something pleasant like 'thank you for giving me the pleasure of dancing with you' or 'I'm not worthy of being within ten feet of your lovely self.' 

Kaz lifted 2 glasses of champagne off a tray as he passed a server, balancing them in one hand and leaning on his cane in another. He spotted the general refilling an already heavily filled glass of kvas near the orchestra. He made to walk right past him, but tripped clumsily on his cane and slammed into the general's shoulder, causing some of his kvas to slosh over the glass's rim.

“Watch where you're – oh.” The general's angry outburst was cut short as he glanced down and saw Kaz's cane.

Kaz saw the familiar look of pity in the man's eyes, a look he had long since learned to use to his advantage. 

“My mistake, sir, pardon me,” he stammered, fumbling his champagne glasses and making a show of nearly dropping one. He motioned with his cane. “Bit of a struggle carrying all this.”

“Let me help you, my boy,” the general kindly, as if talking to a five year old child.

“No, no, thank you, sir,” Kaz said earnestly, “I'll manage.” He bustled away, slipping back into the crowd with a smirk.

Kaz approached Inej a few moments later and handed her one of the bubbling glasses. She took it hesitantly, casting an skeptical look at him.

“Ye of little faith,” Kaz muttered, downing half of his champagne with ardor. 

Not five minutes later, the pair heard a commotion and saw a crowd of people beginning to gather. They moved closer and saw the grey mustached general lying in a heap on the ground, eyes closed.

Inej's eyes widened, then narrowed suspiciously. “What did you do?!” She hissed at Kaz.

“Nothing worse than what any heartrender in this room can do,” Kaz said with a shrug. 

“You stopped his heart!?”

“No. But I might have learned a thing or two from Genya earlier when she was showing us her collection of poisons.”

“You poisoned him?!”

“Only a little. Genya as good as gave me a handful of valerian tinctures-”

“-so you're saying you stole them-”

Kaz gave a noncommittal wave of his hand. “For research purposes only.”

“Then what do you call this?”

“Research,” Kaz said with a twisted smile, which only widened as they observed the general being dragged out of the ballroom by a troop of soldiers. “He'll be fine. All he'll get is a good night's sleep and a headache when he wakes up.”

Inej shook her head. “You still shouldn't have.”

“I think I should have and worse. He deserved it.”

“You don't even know what he said to me.”

“Since you wouldn't tell me, I had to assume. And I always assume the worst.”

A smile threatened to break across Inej's face. “Alright. But you owe me.”

Kaz tilted his head once towards to her, conceding to her demands wordlessly.

“You owe me a dance.”

The twisted smile instantly slipped off his face. That was certainly not the request he expected. He could hear the orchestra warming up to the strains of a familiar waltz. “Oh. But I-”

“No excuses,” Inej insisted. “If you can climb over rooftops better than Wylan, who has two good legs, then you can dance a waltz. This is a slow one, I'll teach you.”

He let Inej drag him to the dance floor, protesting all the way. In the end, he actually enjoyed the dance, though he would never admit to it. He felt like an idiot, but he didn't trip over his feet. They held each other lightly, gently, as always. Inej's eyes were on him the entire time and they were alight with joy. 

That was really all that mattered. If Kaz had to make a fool of himself for Inej's happiness, then he'd damn well do it. And again. And again. And again.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the War & Peace (2016) soundtrack, since it's the perfect writing music for Ravka. Listen to "Andrei and Natasha Waltz" if you'd like to know what Kaz and Inej are dancing to. Thanks for reading!


End file.
